1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of outputting various information managed by the apparatus in the form of a report.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multifunction printers or peripherals (MFPs), which represent the latest form of image processing apparatuses, provide various application functions, such as copy, facsimile, scanner, and printer functions, and a communication function. This type of image processing apparatuses is used not only in the context of a one-to-one relationship with a user, but increasingly in a one-to-N relationship. In the latter case, the apparatus is connected, via a network, to multiple personal computers as user terminals, or information processing apparatuses with a communication function, such as various management servers, thereby functioning as a component of a system. Thus, the modern image processing apparatuses such as the MFPs are capable of managing and manipulating various information, such as user information, as well as apparatus-specific information, in order to provide useful services to users.
For this purpose, the latest image processing apparatuses are equipped with a function to output a report that allows users to readily monitor various information managed by the apparatus. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-186918 proposes an image processing apparatus in which report data is generated and printed using the fonts for its printer function.
However, such conventional report output methods have the following problems.
Firstly, since a report-output format, such as layout, is already uniquely determined for each type of information, the user is unable to obtain an output in a desired layout or data format, such as in a gathered or “multiple-pages-into-one” layout, or in the PDF (Portable Document Format) format, for example.
Secondly, since a report-output method is uniquely determined for each type of information, a user cannot choose a desired output method, such as electronic mail transmission.